Estonian theatres are joining hundreds of cultural institutions across Europe to stand against the threat to creative and freedom of expression

The Estonian Association of Performing Arts Institutions, Baltoscandal, Kanuti Gildi SAAL, the Estonian National Opera, Ugala Theatre, Kuressaare Theatre, Theatre Nuutrum, Rakvere Theatre, the Russian Theater of Estonia, Vaba Lava, and Von Krahl Theatre have signed the public letter “RESISTANCE NOW: FREE CULTURE”. Together with colleagues from 39 countries, they are calling on the European Parliament to protect the independence of cultural organizations as well as freedom of expression and creativity.

“We, cultural institutions and artists from across Europe, are alarmed by current cultural policy developments in various EU member states. While the Hungarian cultural sector has already been largely brought into line through new media laws and budget cuts, politically motivated layoffs are currently taking place in Slovakia – to name only the dismissals of the directors of the National Theatre and the National Gallery.

The attacks on artistic freedom have reached an almost absurd level in many member states: at the National Theater of Sofia, a play over 100 years old, set in a fictitious Bulgaria, was performed without an audience in its first opening night due to attacks from ultranationalist circles, who physically prevented the viewers to enter the building of the theatre. In Austria, the right-wing nationalist Freedom Party (FPÖ) is threatening to cut funding for “woke” culture – which simply means all culture beyond local music organizations – while in the Netherlands, Geert Wilders’ “Freedom Party”, in France the Rassemblement National and in Germany the AfD are pushing for radical cuts in funding for all cultural institutions and efforts that are not “traditional” and “national”. These cuts have already been implemented in many areas, according to the logic that what has been destroyed will not recover quickly.

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Not only the reputation, but the existence of European culture in its diversity is at risk. Europe is based on the openness of the cultural life of the individual countries and their free cooperation. If these disappear, the European project loses its soul and meaning. Please act! It is not too late!” say the authors of the letter.

Join the public letter here: https://www.europeantheatre.eu/news/sign-the-open-letter-resistance-now-free-culture